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Finger Technique Exercises for beginners and 7th/8th grade

Posted by 1A HBD on 2/16/2023, 1:47 pm

What do you use for finger techniques exercises for your beginners and/or 7th and 8th grade bands?

Things that help them play eighth notes and sixteenth notes with accuracy and precision

Thank you

Re: Finger Technique Exercises for beginners and 7th/8th grade

Posted by WTX Retiree on 2/21/2023, 9:25 am, in reply to "Finger Technique Exercises for beginners and 7th/8th grade"

Work Long/short, short/long patterns. For scales: VERY SLOWLY at first--play long, short, long, short, long, short, long, short up the scale several times. Then play short, long, short, long etc. up the scale several times. Then slowly play up the scale in equal note lengths. THEN same process down the scale. Increase tempo slightly as students master slower tempos.

This also works for any group of 2/4 notes (eighths, sixteenths) and obviously play only forward. Add the note that follows the 2nd or 4th and play long, short, long several times then short, long, short.

Re: Finger Technique Exercises for beginners and 7th/8th grade

Posted by 2A guy on 2/17/2023, 8:44 am, in reply to "Finger Technique Exercises for beginners and 7th/8th grade"

We do subdivision everyday--subdivision of our daily drill, lines in our beginner book, or subdivision of grade 0.5 pieces.

3-tone, 5-tone scales in wholes, halves, quarters, eights, sixteenths.

Scale circles where students ascend and descend to any degree in the scale in all of the above rhythms too.

Re: Finger Technique Exercises for beginners and 7th/8th grade

Posted by 1A director on 2/16/2023, 9:14 pm, in reply to "Finger Technique Exercises for beginners and 7th/8th grade"

6th grade usually does finger walks then eventually the chromatic scale in chunks.

7th grade - chromatic scale from region music

8th-12th - set 1 option 4 blue book - foundations for superior performance chromatic pattern up and down.

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